Process of extinguishing fires in oil-tanks.



J. B. & 0'. R. ERWIN.

PRQcEss oF EXTINGUISHING FIRES IN on. TANKS. .f f

\\ APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1913.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

@Memo me/Mofas 3M M YM@ J. B. & 0. R. ERWIN.

PROCESS oF EXTINGUISHING FIRES m ou TANKS.

APPLICATION IILED FEB. 6, 1913.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANcaRAPH C0..WASHIN010N. DJ?.

J. B. & 0.12.. ERWIN. PROCESS 0F BXTINGUISHING FIRES IN OIL TANKS.

APPLICATION FILED IBB. e, 191s.

1,085,805, Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

` www /f/W/ COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

IINITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. ERWIN AND ORLANDO R. ERWIN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

PROCESS OF EXTINGUISHING FIRES IN OIL-TANKS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES B. ERwIN and ORLANDO R. EnwIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of Extinguishing Fires in Gil- Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improved automatic process for extinguishing fires in mammoth tanks for storing oil by the application of foam, and it pertains more especially, among other things-1st, to the process of commingling fire extinguishing ingredients; 2nd, in storing the lne're o our process in position for i stgfht delive during chemical reaction in a foaming condition directly from the mixing chamb the oil surface without inter g foam destroying pipes, spray nozzles, or other restricting ducts; and 3rd, in establishing on the oil surface a lingering floating blanket of oil-cooling fire-extingushing foam in a state of chemical reaction and violent ebullition.

Our process is further explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of an oil tank, and a chamber for storing and mixing the ingredients of a fire extinguishing agent within said tank. Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1, showing the mixing chamber in which the fire extinguishing ingredients are stored, located outside of the oil tank, and Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2, showing the process in operation.

Like parts are identified by the same reference numerals throughout the several views.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 is an oil tank of ordinary construction, showing a chamber 2 in which the fire extinguishing ingredients are stored within the oil tank. 3 represents a mixing chamber for storing the ingredients outside of the oil tank. 4 is an acid receptacle. While other ingredients may be used for producing the fire extinguishing agent, for brevity of description, we herein refer to the process as effected with carbon dioxid foam, which is the agent by which the re is extinguished. Such agent is produced by commingling a given quantity of an acid with a .given quantity of an alkaline solution. The acid is stored in the receptacle 4 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led February G, 1913.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914. Serial No. 746,438.

and said receptacle is normally retained at the upper end of the mixing chambers 2 and 3, as hereinafter described. In preparing the system for automatic action, the mixing chambers are preferably nearly filled with a solution of bicarbonate of soda upon the surface 5 of which is placed a hermet-ical seal 5, which may be made of paraffin alone or a metal float may be used with a paraffined seal at its edges. 6 represents the acid in the receptacle 4. The receptacle 4 is preferably provided with a closure 4 of glass, lead, or other equivalent material to prevent deterioration of the acidtherein. The two opposing sides of said receptacle'4 are provided with lugs 7, 7 ,'and the lug 7 is adapted to bear on the lug S of the mixing chamber, and the lug 7 rests upon the pin 9, as shown in Fig. 1. The pin 9 is operatively connected with the vertical arm 10 of a bell crank lever, which lever is pivotally supported from the side of the mixing chamber 2 by the pin 11. It will now be obvious that by a downward pressure upon the horizontal arm 12 of the bell crank lever, the pin 9 will be withdrawn from beneath the lug 7 the receptacle 4 will be free to drop of its own gravity wit-h its contents, whereby the acid therein will be thoroughly commingled with the soda solution in said mixing chamber, whereby a chemical reaction resulting in violent ebullition will be produced in said mixing chamber 2, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, when the foam thus produced will escape through the upper open end of said mixing chamber 2 and will be discharged direct upon the surface 13 of the oil in the tank, thereby forming a blanket or shield between the oil surface and the air, whereby a fire produced by the burning oil will be instantly extinguished. As a means of automatically releasing the receptacle 4, we preferably suspend a weight 14 from the Hexible member ,15, and we provide the flexible member 15 with a plurality of fusible links 16 and a. contact member 17. The member 17 is so located in relation to the arm 12 of the elbow crank lever when any one of the several links 16 become fused, the weight 14 will drop, whereby the member 17 will be brought in contact with the arm 12, whereby the arm 10 will be thrown toward the right or away from the mixing chamber 2, whereby the receptacle 4 will drop with its contents to the bottom of said mixing chamber, whereby the acid or other contents of the receptacle 4 will become thoroughly commingledv with the solution in said mixing chamber, the contents of said chamber will be thrown into a violent state of ebullition, and the resultant foam will be discharged upon the surface of the oil in the tank 1, as stated.

While we have shown the mixing chamber 2 located within the oil tank in Fig. 1, it is obvious that the same may, if desired,be located outside of thetank, as shown at 3 in Figs. 2 and 3, in which case the upper end of such chamber terminates in the upper end of the tank 1, whereby the use of intervening foam-destroying ducts between the mixing chamber andthe oil tank become unnecessary, and whereby the foam will be discharged above the surface of the oil in the form generated, thereby forming a blanketbetween the oil and the atmosphere by which the fire is extinguished.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the lug 7 normally rests on the short arm 18 of the bell crank lever, which arm 18 is pivotally supported from the wall of the mixing chamber 3 by the pivot pin 20. The arm 19 of said lever is operatively connected to a heat controlled means for releasing the acid receptacle, similar to that shown in Fig. 1.

It will be understood that in carrying out our process for extinguishing fires in oil tanks,we` preferably employ a plurality of mixing chambers and acid receptacles in each oil tank, and the same are adapted to be inserted through the manholes of such tank wit-hout altering the same in any respect. The mixing chambers thus inserted are in position for instan-t delivery of the foam in case of re. It will be obvious that the bubbles of foam thus produced will not be crushed as is the case in the ordinary method of forcing the same through perfoi-ated pipes or restricted ducts. That by our improved method of simultaneously mixing while discharging the fire extinguishing ingredients, our mixing chamber constitutes a discharging chamber and the full effect of the foaming floating mixture is retained.

The essence of this process, it will be understood is effected by the combination with an oil tank at the seat of combustion, of the foam generating and discharging means devoid of any restricted foam-destroying pipes, perforated nozzles, etc., which end is accomplished by placing the unrestricted discharge outlet of the mixing chamber in position for instant and effective delivery, as stated.

It will be understood that when the separate ingredients of said lire extinguishing agent are mingled, the resultant mixture is thrown into a state of violent ebullition, whereby the same is caused to expand and over-flow the mouth or upper end of the mixing chamber in a state of foam when it is discharged direct upon the surface of the oil in the oil tank, whereby the necessity of using force pumps for raising or forcing the lire extinguishing agent to and discharging it upon the oil or for raising the same to a higher level and discharging it by gravity upon the oil is avoided. Attention is also called to the fact that the alkaline solution is shown as stored in an elongated mixing chamber of considerable height in proportion to its diameter, and that the acid is stored in a separate receptacle having a contracted mouth or discharge o ening, and that such acid receptacle and its contents are adapted to be precipitated together to the bottom of the elongated receptacle as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, whereby the acid gradually escapes and a portion of such acid is carried by vits containing receptacle to the bottom of the elongated mixing chamber, whereby the acid becomes thoroughly mingled with such alkaline solution.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The process of automatically extinguishing fire in oil tanks, consisting in commingling the ingredients of a foam-producing, fire-extinguishing agent in a separate mixing chamber from said koil tank and permitting such agent to escape from such chamber by its own expansion and to overflow direct upon the surface of the oil in said tank.

2. The process of extinguishing fires consisting first, in automatically comminglingl separately stored fire extinguishing ingredients in a suitable receptacle, and second. permitting the resultant foam to overflow the burning surface unobstructedly from the open mouth of said receptacle by its o wn expansion in a state of violent ebullition.

3. The process of automatically extinguishing iires in oil tanks consisting first, in commingling tire-extinguishing ingredients in a separate receptacle from said oil tank, and second, deflecting the foam resulting from such commingled ingredients direct from t-he mouth of such receptacle by the force of its own expansion upon the surface of the oil in said tank.

4. The process of automatically extinguishing {ires in oil tanks consisting first, in mixing an acid with an alkaline solution in a separate mixing chamber from said oil tank, and second, causing the resultant foam to be discharged unrestrictedly above and upon the surface of the oil direct from the mouth of said mixing chamber by its own expansion, whereby intervening foam destroying pipes or restricted passages are dispensed with.

5. The process of automatically vextinguishing fires in oil tanks consistingv first, in storing acid in a receptacle having a contracted discharge opening, simultaneously 5 precipitating such acid and its retaining receptacle together into a quantity of alkaline solution within an elongated mixing chant ber, whereby a part of such acid is carried by said receptacle to the bottom of the mix- 10 ing chamber and becomes thoroughly commingled with such alkaline solution, and second, simultaneously conducting the result-ant foam produced by chemical reaction by its own expansive torce upon the surface l5 of the oil in said tank.

6. The process of extinguishing fires in oil tanks consisting in automatically producing and discharging by its own expansion a liquid foam upon the surface of burning oil, whereby an air excluding blanket of 20 less specific gravity than the oil is formed upon the suriace 0f the burning oil and the iire thereby extinguished.,

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. ERVIN. ORLANDO R. ERWIN. lVitnesses:

IRMA D. BREMER, `HELEN C. VAN RYA.

Oopiel of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

